The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gerald Jones on 2016-10-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on the sale of ex-emergency service vehicles.
Mr Philip Dunne
No such discussions have taken place between my Rt. hon. Friends the Secretary of State for Health and the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2016-01-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 17 December 2015 to Question 20083, what steps he plans to take to tackle the rise in the number of people who took their own life on the rail network since 2010.
Alistair Burt
Reducing suicides on the rail network is highlighted as a key area within the cross-Government National Suicide Prevention Strategy (2012) where tailored and collaborative action can be taken. I will be having discussions soon with officials and our delivery partners about ways in which we can re-invigorate the delivery of the National Suicide Prevention Strategy.
Public Health England published guidance to local authorities, Guidance for developing a local suicide prevention action plan (2014) and Preventing suicides in public places (2015), which include advice on working with local transport organisations to take preventative action to reduce suicides on the transport network.
We continue to work with the British Transport Police, London Underground Limited, Network Rail, Samaritans and other partners to reduce suicides on the rail and underground networks.
We support the joint work of Network Rail and Samaritans as part of the Tackling Suicides on the Railways programme, which has continued to grow since 2010. Since 2010, more than 8,000 rail staff, British Transport Police officers and Network Rail front line staff have received training from Samaritans.
This partnership approach has led to the establishment of the National Suicide Prevention Group to tackle the issue of railway suicide, comprising Samaritans, Network Rail, British Transport Police, Train Operating Company representatives and the wider railway industry, such as the Association of Train Operating Companies, Rail Safety & Standards Board and rail unions.
The British Transport Police is a signatory of the Crisis Care Concordat which aims to support people experiencing a mental health crisis. The Department of Health also provided funding support in 2014/15 to enable the British Transport Police to expand its suicide prevention programme to include the North of England as well as the South of England. The programme aims to reduce suicides on the transport network by identifying people who might be considering suicide on the transport network and linking them with support services.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Stephenson on 2016-02-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of flood defences in Earby.
Rory Stewart
May I pay tribute to the community of Earby and their fortitude following the terrible floods this Christmas.
We have been working closely with the local community and partners in Earby to investigate options for reducing the risk from all sources of flooding.
We have allocated £50,000 to this study.
The study will also update the flood map for Earby, improve flood warning and improve planning decisions.
In addition to this, the Environment Agency is carrying out £500k of work to repair and reduce the risk of blockage of the Victoria Clough culvert.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2016-02-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 19 November 2015 to Question 16115, if he will make it his policy to collect centrally data on Flexible Support Funding spent on childcare support.
Priti Patel
The Flexible Support Fund is used at the discretion of Jobcentre Plus District Managers and Work Coaches to support people back into work. Given this is a localised, discretionary fund we do not, and do not have plans to, create additional bureaucratic reporting on how the fund is spent.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2016-03-17.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 22 February 2016 to Question 26922 and the statement with reference to genocide on 17 March 2016 by the US Secretary of State on Daesh atrocities, if he will reassess the Government’s policy on judgements as to whether genocide has occurred.
Mr Philip Hammond
The US Secretary of State is right to draw attention to the appalling crimes Daesh are committing, both against minorities groups and Muslims. We will continue to work closely with the US and our other partners in the Global Coalition to defeat Daesh and to ensure justice for those who have suffered at their hands. It is a long standing UK policy that any judgement on whether genocide has occurred should be a matter for judicial decision, rather than for governments. As Secretary of State Kerry said, “ultimately, the full facts must be brought to light by an independent investigation and through formal legal determination made by a competent court or tribunal.”
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-04-25.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will propose that the three billion euros offered to Turkey from the EU be transferred to the UNHCR World Food Programme for work in Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan for refugees and displaced people, in particular for continuing child and adult education.
Baroness Verma
The purpose of the EU-Turkey Refugee Facility is to provide support to refugees and host communities in Turkey. We expect that the Facility will provide immediate humanitarian support, as well as help meet longer-term development needs, such as education.
The first projects funded through the Facility are starting to be implemented, for example through the World Food Programme and UNICEF.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Blackford on 2016-06-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reasons people who have leave to remain in the UK while seeking permanent residence do not have the right to work.
James Brokenshire
Those with temporary leave to remain keep the conditions of that leave, including any associated work rights, until a new application is decided.
Those whose leave to remain has already expired do not have permission to work and must normally make an application to regularise their stay within 28 days.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Debbie Abrahams on 2016-07-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many employers have been advised that their pay cycles might affect universal credit payments; how many employers have altered their pay cycles as a result of that advice; and how many employees have been affected by such alterations.
Damian Hinds
Throughout the life of Universal Credit, officials and Ministers have consulted and liaised with employers about Universal Credit and its interaction with labour market and employers’ processes.
We are currently implementing a test and learn approach to understand the interaction of Universal Credit and employer pay cycles and its effect on awards. This work will include discussions with employers.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-10-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he plans for new implants for people diagnosed with damaged shoulder tendons to be available on the NHS.
Nicola Blackwood
It is for the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to provide national clinical guidance and advice to improve health and social care based on the latest research and evidence base for use of interventional procedures. NICE has not issued any guidance on the use of new implants for damaged shoulder tendons.
Clinical commissioning groups are responsible for commissioning services to meet the requirements of their local population. It would be for them to decide whether this procedure should be made available, taking into account any available evidence of its clinical and cost effectiveness.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Hendrick on 2016-01-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that all GPs have received training on autism in order to ensure that referrals for diagnosis are made appropriately.
Alistair Burt
The report of the Mental Health Task Force is due to be published shortly. NHS England has commenced a programme to visit clinical commissioning groups to identify and share good practice in accessing timely autism diagnosis.
In 2015, new statutory guidance for local authorities and National Health Service organisations to support the continued implementation of the 2010 Autism Strategy, as refreshed by its 2014 Think Autism update, set out expectations for autism training for general practitioners (GPs). The Department has also provided financial support to the Royal College of General Practitioners clinical priorities programme on autism which is undertaking practical work on autism awareness and training for GPs.GPs should be aware of what the local arrangements are for making referrals for autism diagnosis.